OCLC Global Council meets in The Hague, Netherlands

Delegates meet for the first time in Europe to discuss "Cooperation in a Rapidly Changing World"

LEIDEN, Netherlands, 23 April 2013—OCLC Global Council meets 23–25 April in The Hague to discuss "Cooperation in a Rapidly Changing World." The meeting of OCLC Global Council delegates is the first to take place in Europe. Delegates will hear from Vincent Lokin, Manager, Cooperative and Sustainable Entrepreneurship, Rabobank, Netherlands, who will give the keynote address on models for cooperation, and from Breandán Knowlton, Programme Manager, Europeana, on "Developing Projects in the Europeana Cultural Heritage Ecosystem."

Global Council President ChewLeng Beh, Senior Director, Library and Professional Services and Director of SILAS National Library Board, Singapore, will preside over election of two key OCLC governance positions. Global Council Delegates will elect one Trustee to serve on the OCLC Board effective November 2013, and the Global Council Vice-President/President Elect, whose term will begin 1 July 2013. Global Council helps shape the future direction of OCLC and libraries by electing six members to the OCLC Board of Trustees and ratifying amendments to the organization’s foundation documents. Global Council also provides insight and direction on key issues in the field of libraries and information science.

In addition, the programme includes:

An update on the OCLC Board of Trustees from Sandy Yee, Dean, Wayne State University Libraries and the School of Library and Information Science (US)

The OCLC President's Report from Jay Jordan, CEO and President, OCLC

A presentation on "Bookmark Your Library," an innovative new service recently introduced in the UK, from Sally McMahon, Head of Library and Information Services, Brighton and Hove (UK) City Council, and Lise Robinson, OCLC Product Manager for Bookmark Your Library

A report on how OCLC’s strategic priorities align with the challenges facing OCLC member libraries, presented by Cathy de Rosa, Vice President for the Americas and Global Vice President of Marketing.

The Annual Meeting of OCLC Global Council in The Hague coincides with the festive reopening of the partially renovated OCLC office building in Leiden, Netherlands, erected in 1989 by the Pica Foundation. During the first phase of this project, the ground and first floors of the building were thoroughly renovated; refurbishment of the other floors will follow in the coming year. The formal reopening by Jay Jordan, CEO and President of OCLC, will give Global Council Delegates a chance to meet the directors of the largest Dutch libraries. Delegates have also been invited to visit Midden Brabant Public Libraries in Tilburg; University of Utrecht, Tresoar (Frisian Historical and Literary Centre); and the Gemeentemuseum in The Hague, where they can learn more about the Dutch library landscape.

OCLC Global Council comprises Member Delegates elected by the members within each of the three Regional Councils—Americas, Asia Pacific and EMEA—and serves as a key strategic discussion forum and the major communication link among member libraries, Regional Councils and OCLC. The Global Council also discusses interests of mutual concern and makes recommendations to OCLC management and members of the OCLC Board of Trustees. Member Delegates help ensure regular and open communication between the Membership and OCLC.

About OCLC

Founded in 1967, OCLC is a nonprofit, membership, computer library service and research organization dedicated to the public purposes of furthering access to the world’s information and reducing library costs. More than 74,000 libraries in 170 countries have used OCLC services to locate, acquire, catalog, lend, preserve and manage library materials. Researchers, students, faculty, scholars, professional librarians and other information seekers use OCLC services to obtain bibliographic, abstract and full-text information when and where they need it. OCLC and its member libraries cooperatively produce and maintain WorldCat, the world’s largest online database for discovery of library resources. Search WorldCat on the Web at www.worldcat.org. For more information, visit www.oclc.org.

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